Solar Eclipse in 2024

Southern Aroostook County in Maine , where Island Falls is located, was the last place in the United States to experience totality during the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. The entire celestial event lasted for 2 hours and 19 minutes, and the spectacular peak moment of complete darkness unfolded on a precise afternoon timeline.

• 2:21 PM EDT: The partial eclipse began as the moon first touched the edge of the sun.
• 3:31 PM EDT: Totality officially began, plunging the town into sudden, eerie darkness.
• 3:33 PM EDT: The eclipse reached its absolute maximum depth. Island Falls experienced 3 minutes and 18 seconds of total darkness, making it one of the best viewing spots in the entire state.
• 3:35 PM EDT: Totality concluded, and the sky began to brighten back up.

The eclipse sparked multi-day festivals throughout the United States in towns that were in the path of totality. There were viewing parties, educational programs, and live entertainment.

The peak viewing location in the northeast was Island Falls, so hundreds of people arrived in our small town to experience the eclipse. They were not disappointed, because the weather was perfect, and the sky was completely clear.

Here’s a video of the eclipse made by a man who visited Maine specifically to watch and record the eclipse. He captured it from VaJoWa Golf Course in Island Falls.